Known conveyors are used for transporting objects, such as boxes. Generally such conveyors are non-powered devices comprising plurality of rods having freely turning rollers or skate wheels, which define a path or surface for movement of the objects, and a support structure, which enables the length and curvature of the conveyor to be selectively varied. The conveyors can be used to transport objects both horizontally and up and down inclines. Some conveyors are supported by a plurality of legs having wheels or casters to provide portability.
Attempts have been made to power the conveyors in order to provide a more effective transporting system. Some conveyors having fixed lengths and linear paths employ individually powered rollers. However, these conveyors have limited utility because the distance and path needed to transport materials frequently varies from job to job. Powered conveyors having flexible lengths and paths are more useful, but flexible powered conveyors have not been entirely successful. For example, some flexible powered conveyors use rollers which are rotatably driven by O-ring or chain drive systems which connect multiple rollers together to multiple external power sources, such as motors mounted on legs of the conveyor.
Regardless of whether powered or non-powered, a problem occurs when the conveyor must be transported, assembled, or disassembled in the field. The conveyors may become very long and difficult to assemble in the field. Therefore, the manufacturer may make the conveyor in modular sections which are joined or separated in the field. This need for modular construction leads to a need for a connector which facilitates quickly joining or separating the conveyor sections.
Heretofore, it was necessary to partly disassemble and then reassemble the ends of the adjoining conveyors in order to join them. This meant pulling rods, with the spacers and skate wheels coming off the ends of the rods as they were pulled, and then rethreading the rods through new brackets joining the two conveyors, rethreading the skate wheels and spacers on the rods in the process. This was both time consuming and frustrating since the pattern of wheel positions was sometimes difficult to reestablish.
Yet another problem centered upon movement of the conveyor after it is installed. For example, when trucks back up to a loading dock, a conveyor is extended into the back of the truck. From there, the conveyor might follow any path, say, a somewhat S-shaped path to a receiving area. When the truck is ready to move away, the conveyor is pushed out of the back of the truck and away from the dock edge, far enough to allow a new truck to back up to the dock. Then the conveyor is pushed into the back of the new truck.
Heretofore, all of the conveyors moved as a unit. Therefore, it was necessary to readjust the S-shaped path each time that the conveyor was pushed into or out of the back of the truck. Of course, the example of a truck at the dock is only to illustrate the problem. The same problem often occurred whenever the prior art conveyor is pushed because an expansion or collapse of any part of the conveyor had an effect throughout the entire length of the conveyor.
With the invention, any part of the conveyor may be locked into position by a foot operated brake at the castors on the bottoms of the legs supporting the conveyor. Then one section of the conveyor may be stretched as it is pushed into the back of the truck, or compressed as it is pushed out of the back of the truck. There is no effect upon the rest of the conveyor which is held stationary by the foot operated brake.